2025 Theses Doctoral

America's Campus: Spiritual Psychology in History and in The Present

Suspanic, Ryan Michael

America’s college campuses have contributed directly to two contemporary international trends: secularization and the “spiritual rather than religious” movement. In history and in the present, one channel through which spirituality and religion has been forged in America is through its tenuous relationship with conscious-altering substances, including alcohol: its consumption and its regulation. This relationship has historically been the ‘battleground’ for the ‘fight’ that has precipitated evolution in the practices and sociology of religion and spirituality.

The current project explores pertinent history and practice of religion and spirituality on the campus of America, its colleges and universities. This research and its dissemination is directed towards individual and institutional policy-makers and decision-makers, who, equipped with this knowledge, can impact the human experience for the better: one decision, one policy or one person at a time, ideally at an accelerated rate — towards the purpose and ongoing realization of a more happy and healthy world.